During drilling of an oil or gas well, drilling fluids are circulated through the wellbore. The drilling fluids perform a variety of functions including cooling the drill bit, sweeping away cuttings from the bottom of the wellbore, and maintaining hydrostatic pressure to prevent blowouts or collapse of the wellbore.
As a drilling fluid passes through the wellbore, properties of the drilling fluid may change as a result of downhole conditions. For example, the drilling fluid's density may change due to entrainment of gas or “cuttings,” pieces of rock from the subsurface formation. By monitoring and analyzing the changes undergone by the drilling fluid as it passes through the wellbore, a drilling operator can gain insight into the effectiveness of the drilling operations and optimize the drilling operations accordingly. Further, analysis of drilling fluids can significantly improve the overall safety of drilling operations by allowing drilling operators to identify problematic conditions before they endanger equipment, personnel, or the environment.
Recent developments in metering technology have significantly improved the ability of drilling operators to collect drilling fluid data during drilling operations. For example, the introduction of Coriolis meters suitable for drilling fluids and sized for the flow requirements of drilling operations have enabled drilling operators to measure flow rate and density of drilling fluids in real time. Given this increased availability of drilling fluid data, new methods and tools for effectively monitoring and analyzing the drilling fluid data are required so that drilling operators can maximize the operational benefits associated with improved metering.